Wrench.



PA-TENTBD OCT. 30. 190 B; M. WINBURN.

WRENCH. I APPLICATIOI FILED 11313.23, 1906.

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- WITNESSES:

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.other hand of the operator to adjust the wrench. However, both handsmay be em- UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

JAMES B. M. WINBURN, OF GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA.

' WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 30, 1906.

To aZZ whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JAMES B. M. WINBURN, a citizen of the United States,residing, at Gainesville, in the county of Hall and State of Georgia,have invented a new and useful Wrench, of which .the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to wrenches of that class wherein the movable jawis slidable upon the stock of the wrench.

The prime object of the invention is to obtain a quick adjustment of themovable jaw a simple and improved manner.

Heretofore in wrenches of this class there has been a biting actionbetween a sharp element of the movable jaw and the stock of the wrench,wherebythe latter becomes roughened .to such an extent as to presentwell-defined teeth or notches into which the sharp element of the jawengages, thereby limiting theradjustment of the movable jaw to thesuccessive positions defined by the notches or teeth. Furthermore, thesharp element becomes worn and dull and instead of effecting a promptand positive interlocking of the jaw and the stock it slips thereon andrenders the adjustment of the jaw diflicult and fails to hold the sameto the work.

In view of the objections noted it is the purpose. of the presentinvention to obviate the employment of a biting element and to secure aclamping or clutching action which does not roughen the stock norotherwise impair the gripping action between the locking element and thestock.

. A still further object of the invention is to enable the quickadjustment of the movable jaw in either direction by the hand whichgrasps the handle or the stock of the wrench, thereby obviating thenecessity of using the ployed to adjust the movable jaw whenever suchmethod of adjustment is desired.

Another object of the invention is to insure the prompt locking of themovable jaw upon the stock when set to any position and to positivelyreclude any setting back of the jaw from t e work after it has beenpushed thereagainst.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed. out. in theappended claim, it

being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minordetails may be made within the scope of the claims without departingfrom the spirit or sacrificing any of the features of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wrench embodying thefeatures of the present invention, the locking or clutch member beingbroken away to disclose the looking or clutching engagement between saidmember and the stock of the wrench. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of thewrench. Fig. 3 is a detail cross-sectional view on the line 3 3 ofFig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail fragmentary view illustrating the locked andreleased positions of the clutch or locking member.

Like characters of reference indicate corres onding parts in each of theseveral views of t e drawings.

The present wrench has any approved or conventional form of stock 10,which is preferably rectangular in cross-section and smooth throughoutits four faces. One end of the stock is provided with a suitable handle11, while its other end terminates in a fixed transverse jaw 12.

Slidably mounted upon the stock between the jaw 12 and the handle 11there is the movable jaw 13, which is pierced from end to end by arectangular passage 14, throu h which the stock is received. -What willbe termed the forward lower corner of the movable jaw is provided withan outwardlyinclined extension or heel 15, which is rounded or convexedupon its rear facewhich is directed'toward the handle 11.

Located between the movable jaw 13 and the handle 11 is the clutch orlocking element 16, which is preferably in the form of a cross headpierced by a rectangular passage receiving the stock. The forwardportion a of the front wall of this passage is obliquely disposed withrespect to the stock and inclines away from the latter toward the fixedjaw 12. This obliquely-disposed wall portion extends for abouttwo-thirds of the length of the passage, the remaining one-third(designated 1)) is disposed normally in substantial parallelism with thestock and preferably convex'ed. The rear wall portions of the passageare disposed reversely to those of the front wallthat is to say, therear back wall portion 0 is disposed obliquely to the stock insubstantial parallelism with the inclined front wall portion a, whilethe front portion (1 of the back wall is slightly convexed or insubstantial 7 parallelism with the stock. tween the planes of the facesI) and d exceeds the Width of the stock, so as to insure the freesliding of the element 16 upon the stock. The element 18 is separatefrom the slidable jaw except for the yieldable connection therebetweenafforded by a helical spring 25, which enters a recess 22, formed in thejaw,

The space bewith the outer end of the spring hooked.

around a pin 23, other end of the in the clutch or which pierces thejaw. The spring enters an opening 24 looking member 16 and is heldtherein by :a wedge or key 26. The forward end of the clutch memberisreduced upon its forward side and formed into a rounded toepor'tion 30to bear against and rock upon the heel 1 5 of the movable jaw as afulcrum-bearing. Interposed between the back of the stock and the backwall of the passage through the clutch member is a shoe 7 19, having astraight fiat front face projecting at opposite sides of the clutchmember so as to have a relatively long bearing against the stock. Thisshoe is provided with terminal rearwardly-directe'd shoulders 20 and 21,defining a seat receiving the rear portion of the clutch member, theback of the seat normally bearing against the back of the wall portion dof the passage through the clutch member.

In practice the movable jaw is normally locked, in which condition theclutch 18 is substantially :at right angles to the stock 10,

and whatever rearward pressure is applied to the jaw 13 as when turninga nut or the like, such rearward pressure. will be transferred to theforward end of the clutch member 18 through the medium of the heel 1 5,riding upon the toe 30, whereupon the forward portion of the clutch willbe swung rearwardly upon the rocking or fulcrum engagement between thestock and the wall portion d of the clutch. This rocking movement of theclutch member swings its rear end forwardly, thereby drawing the shoel9'inwardly into frictional engagement with the back of the stock, thusgripping the latter between the wall portion 1) of the clutch and therelatively long face of the shoe 19, which snugly grips the clutch uponthe stock. As the clutch member .is fixed upon the stock and forms anabutment against which the toe 15 of the movable jaw bears, said movablejaw will be held against rearward movement upon the stock, The tendencyof the spring 24 is to draw the "clutch member toward the movable jawupon the heel portion 15 as a i'ulcrum, whereby the movable jaw isalways ooked against movement away l romthe fixed aw.

To release the movable jaw and move the same away lirom the'fixed jaw,pressure is applied upon the rear end portion of the clutch member adirection away from the fixed jaw, whereby the clutch member is rockedupon its toe 30 as a fulcrum from the fullline position in Figs. 1 and 4to the dotted position in Fig. 4, whereby the oblique wall portions(Land 0 of the opening through the clutch member 18 approach parallelrelations with respect to the stock 10, the wall portions 6 and (1thereby moving away from the stock which loosens the shoe 19, furtherpressure of course sliding the clutch and. the movable jaw away from thefixed jaw. Immediately upon relieving pressure from the clutch thelatter is snapped back into its locked position by the tension of thespring 25, and. the movable jaw will thereby be locked without anysetting back thereof from the work or the position to which the jaw hasbeen set. To move the slidable jaw toward the fixed jaw, it is merelynecessary to push forwardly upon any portion of the jawsay, for instance, by engaging a thumb and a linger with the seats or recesses 28and 29, form-ed in the opposite sides of the movable jaw. The recesses28 29 are formed with curved sides and extend entirely through the sideportions of the movable jaw, thus exposing portions o1 the side faces ofthe stock 10, so that when the thumb and finger of the operator enterthe recesses they bear not only against the inclined walls of therecesses, but may also be pressed against the sides of the stock, andthus materially assist in holding the movable jaw at any desired pointupon the stock while the wrench is being adjusted. This is an importantadvantage and materially increases the value and utility of theimplement. The movable jaw can thus be readily moved toward. the fixedjaw b reason of the fact that the clutch tends o trail from the slidablejaw when the latter is being moved forwardly.

From the foregoing explanation it will be aparen't that with the handleof the wrench he (1 in the hand in the usual manner the movable jaw maybe quickly moved away from the fixed jaw by placing the thumb upon therear end portion of the clutch member 16 and drawing the same toward thehand, while the movable jaw may be moved toward. the fixed jaw merely bypressing the fore finger against the toe portion of the clutch memberwithout removing the hand *l'rom the handle of the wrench.

' Among the several features of the present invention it will be notedthat the walls of the passage through the clutch member 16 do not biteinto or otherwise rou hen the stock 10, while the shoe 19 has a ong llatbearing against the stock to avoid biting into the same and to insure aprompt clutching of the stock by the clutch member without any slippingor setting back of the latter.

The clutch member is constructed in one single piece and preferablyoffsteel, and is therefore very strong and durable, and being entirelyoutside of the movable jaw may be readily replaced and at small expensewhen I Worn or broken.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is A wrenchcomprising a stock, a jaw fixed to said stock, a jaw slidably mountedupon said stock and having a heel located below its work-engaging edge,a clutch slidably mounted upon said stock, said clutch having a toewhich engages the heel of the slidable jaw, 'a spring attached at itsend to said clutch and said slidable jaw, a seat arranged to slideagainst the edge of the stock and having laterally-extending shoulderswhich embrace the edges of said clutch.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES B. M. WINBURN.

Witnesses:

ANDREW THoMPsoN, HOWELL SMITH.

